Dear Mom, Beck has history of sexist comments

Recently, Glenn Beck has claimed that his audience has seen an increase in its proportion of women and has promoted the website AsAMom.org -- a "Network of principled mothers, grandmothers, daughters, & guardians of our nation's children dedicated to" the 9 Principles & 12 Values Beck established -- and hosted its members on his Fox News show. However, Beck has a history of outrageous sexist comments including calling then-Sen. Hillary Clinton a "stereotypical bitch," telling a CNN Headline News colleague that she was "looking hot in leather" on the air, and reportedly once calling a rival radio host's wife and ridiculing her on the air for having a miscarriage.

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Beck claims large female audience and promotes "9/12 Moms"

Beck: "I noticed that women were calling my program more than men were."

BECK: You know what? I think it was about a year ago that I was on my radio program and I noticed something, and I said it on the air. I don't remember when it was, but I -- it was when the financial crisis was really starting to hit, and I noticed that women were calling my program more than men were, and it was different and they had a different conversation with me. And I said at the time, I think men right now are freaking out, going, "How am I going to feed my family?" And women were sitting back and seeing the bigger picture and saying, "Wait a minute. What does this mean for the long term?" Women have gotten it, I think, far beyond -- far sooner than men in this country. And yet, that's all you ever hear from on the tea parties. That's all they ever want to paint. Or all they ever want to show are the angry men.

But it's the women, the moms, that I think truly have an idea of what's going on. And I want to bring you to the second one that you had a concern on -- parents losing their rights. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 9/28/09]

Beck promoted AsAMom.org -- an organization affiliated with the 9/12 Project, which Beck founded -- and hosted "the 9/12 moms."

BECK: America, we're going to go in a different direction here in just a second, but I want to tell you, AsAMom.org is just the beginning -- just the beginning. Moms, you are going to make the difference.

More with the 9-12 moms and the signs of the times -- next.

[...]

BECK: Well, I want to thank the 9/12 moms for being with us. You can go to "AsAmom.org," right? "AsAMom.org" and you can connect all weekend long. [Glenn Beck, 10/2/09]

According to its website, AsAMom.org is a "[n]etwork of principled mothers, grandmothers, daughters, & guardians of our nation's children dedicated to the 9 Principles & 12 Value" and "a labor of love by Mommy Patriots who wholeheartedly subscribe to the 9 Principles & the 12 Values of the 9.12 Project." Beck founded and has repeatedly promoted the 9-12 Project, which describes itself as "a place for you and other like-minded Americans looking for direction in taking back the control of our country;" Beck also established the group's "9 Principles and 12 Values"

Beck: "an unusual number of females in the audience" at book signings; "Moms, you are going to make the difference."

BECK: Hello, America. Tonight, we have -- we have a couple of things that we have to do. We're going to spend time with moms. I've been thinking about the show that we did last -- when was it, last Friday -- and I have been getting a ton of response on it. It has been overwhelming.

Last night, I went to Philadelphia and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, I had a couple of book signings to do, and something struck me. The crowds were enormous. They went all the way around -- I don't mean like out the door and kind of around the corner. I mean out the door, around the corner, around the corner, around the corner, all the way around the block. And there was an unusual number of females in the audience. Now, sure, it could be because of my molten hotness. I mean -- who doesn't want a slice of this, huh, ladies?

You don't have to laugh. But they were there, I know, because they're moms. They're grandmas. It is in their nature to protect their children.

[...]

BECK: America, we're going to go in a different direction here in just a second, but I want to tell you, AsAMom.org is just the beginning -- just the beginning. Moms, you are going to make the difference. [Glenn Beck, 10/2/09]

But Beck has history of outrageously sexist comments

Beck on Hillary Clinton: "She's the stereotypical bitch." On his nationally syndicated radio program, Beck claimed that "Hillary Clinton cannot be elected president because ... there's something about her vocal range." Beck went on to comment that "she's the stereotypical bitch, you know what I mean?" [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program, 3/17/07]

Beck on "bitch" comment: "[P]robably a better word was nag." After being confronted with calling Clinton "a stereotypical bitch" in an interview with ABC News' Claire Shipman, Beck commented: "And she had that tone of voice, where she just sounds like [covers his ears]. I can't listen to it 'cause it sounds like -- it sounds like my wife saying, 'Take out the garbage.' " Beck went on to say: "Calling her that, no. I don't think I'd call her that. Hope I've never called her that. Saying, sounds like the stereotypical -- probably a better word was nag." [ABC's Good Morning America,5/30/08]

Beck mimed Hillary Clinton shaving her face. After a guest referenced senators "who see a president in the mirror when they shave in the morning," Beck asked: "OK. Does that include Hillary? Does she shave? ... Does that include Hillary? Does she -- I mean, she -- she shaves her legs. I'm just saying." After the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Chris Horner said, "Now who's being naïve?" Beck -- while jutting out his lower jaw and miming shaving his face -- said: "I can see her in there. 'Gimme a pack of Kool cigarettes, will ya?' " [CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck, 12/17/07]

Beck: "[I]f you're an ugly woman, you're probably a progressive as well." On his radio show, Beck commented: "Ugly people, if you're a guy, you can get past it. I don't think you can as an ugly woman." Beck went on to say that "you've got a double-cross, because if you're an ugly woman, you're probably a progressive as well." [The Glenn Beck Program, 2/14/08]

Beck to female guest: "I've got some time and a camera. Why don't you stop by?" While discussing racy photographs of an American Idol contestant, Beck made sexually suggestive comments to US Weekly's Dina Sansing. Beck claimed that "[y]ou can't take stupid photos and expect those to be ... locked away forever," to which Sansing responded that it was "possibly" true and that "it depends." Beck then asked Sansing: "Dina, I've got some time and a camera. Why don't you stop by?" Sansing did not respond and, after several seconds of silence, Beck stated: "No? OK." [Glenn Beck, 2/28/07]

Beck to colleague: "You are looking hot in leather" Despite introducing CNN Headline News anchor Erica Hill as "the credible part of the program ... with an actual newsperson" Beck told Hill that "[y]ou are looking hot in leather." Beck went on to tell Hill, "I'm wearing leather pants right now" and "Oh, no, I'm not wearing pants." Hill responded: "OK, that was definitely more information than I needed." [Glenn Beck, 5/8/2006]

Beck on being "embarrass[ed]" watching Hill with his wife. In another segment with Hill, Beck told Hill, "I will tell you that it's a little embarrassing sitting there watching your program at night with my wife. And she says, 'Look at the way that Erica is looking at you.' And I say, 'I know, honey.' " Hill replied, "Don't try to drag me in to this one, my friend. I am nothing but professional." [Glenn Beck, 5/10/06]

Beck on Gloria Steinem: "You self-centered, self-righteous, socialist, out-of-control, dangerous, man-hating bitch." Responding to Gloria Steinem's statement that John McCain would be treated differently if he were a woman, Beck exclaimed: "You self-centered, self-righteous, socialist, out-of-control, dangerous, man-hating bitch. Shut your mouth. We might have bought into this crap in the 1960s because too many people were doing LSD. We're not on LSD anymore. You need to start making sense." [The Glenn Beck Program,5/3/2008]

Beck: Rep. Kucinich's wife might be under influence of "date rape drug" After calling Rep. Dennis Kucinich "Gollum," Beck speculated that as to whether his wife, Elizabeth Kucinich, is under the influence of a "date rape drug." Beck described the drug he had in mind as "not powerful enough to actually knock you out, but it's powerful enough to, like, make you think that you're not standing next to Dennis Kucinich and making out with him." Beck continued: "I was thinking cyanide. That would be the only thing that would really dull the senses enough. Even then, your dead body would be like, 'Dennis Kucinich has his tongue in my mouth.' " [The Glenn Beck Program, 6/4/07]

Beck reportedly ridiculed rival radio host's wife for having a miscarriage. Salon.com's Alexander Zaitchik quoted a former Beck colleague describing an incident in which Beck called a rival radio host's wife on the air and ridiculed her for having a miscarriage:

The animosity between Beck and Kelly continued to deepen. When Beck and Hattrick produced a local version of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" for Halloween -- a recurring motif in Beck's life and career -- Kelly told a local reporter that the bit was a stupid rip-off of a syndicated gag. The slight outraged Beck, who got his revenge with what may rank as one of the cruelest bits in the history of morning radio. "A couple days after Kelly's wife, Terry, had a miscarriage, Beck called her live on the air and says, 'We hear you had a miscarriage,' " remembers Brad Miller, a former Y95 DJ and Clear Channel programmer. "When Terry said, 'Yes,' Beck proceeded to joke about how Bruce [Kelly] apparently can't do anything right -- about he can't even have a baby."

"It was low class," says Miller, now president of Open Stream Broadcasting. "There are certain places you just don't go."

"Beck turned Y95 into a guerrilla station," says Kelly. "It was an example of the zoo thing getting out of control. It became just about pissing people off, part of the culture shift that gave us 'Jackass.'" Among those who were appalled by Beck's prank call was Beck's own wife, Claire, who had been friends with Kelly's wife since the two worked together at WPGC. [Salon.com, 9/22/09]

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